1. Field of the Disclosure
The present specification of patent of invention relates to an improvement introduced into the process of drying crushed cane or other bagasses for subsequent briquetting or other processes, the development whereof has led to the obtainment of a compact unit to carry out the process of drying appropriately crushed cane or other bagasses such that it may be used for briquetting or other processes.
2. Related Art
The discovery of fire as a source of energy and heat was the touch paper for the emergence of new civilizations. In addition such new civilizations generated a demand for new sources of energy to satisfy new requirements for comfort.
The growth in energy consumption led to the consumption of immense areas of forest generating the need to seek new sources of energy. There emerged electricity, and the solutions employed by this new source of energy, which, in turn, obliged the commencement of a search for new sources of energy.
From thermal to modern hydroelectric power stations, including the search for more efficient nuclear energy solutions, much research is being carried out and a great deal of money has been invested to satisfy the aforementioned demand.
Such new sources of energy include photovoltaic cell, thermosolar, hydrogen and biomass solutions.
Biomass utilizes residues of plants following harvesting or those cultivated specifically for this purpose with the objective of increasing the potential of this energy resource and preventing, during the decomposition thereof, occurrence of the generation of methane gas considered to be a damaging factor for the ozone layer. The combustion thereof generates carbon dioxide which, in spite of this disadvantage, causes less damage to the ozone layer.
The utilization of ethyl alcohol or ethanol from sugar cane as an energy resource for automobile vehicles which emerged as a result of the 1973 energy crisis became, principally in Brazil, one of the principal sources at the time of the replacement of energy of fossil origin by energy from renewable sources to prevent environmental collapse.
It arises that the juice used for the production of alcohol and sugar is solely one of the parts of cane, the bagasse and tops until that moment having been lost as a source of energy.
Some sugar and alcohol mills started burning said bagasse in furnaces to generate heat and electric energy both for their own consumption and to sell the excess electric energy. The serious problem with direct combustion of cane bagasse lies in the fact that it retains a certain level of humidity and when thrown into the furnace part of the heat of combustion is expended solely in drying the bagasse and only then is sufficient heat generated to suitably drive the steam turbine.
It is noted that such combustion for the purpose of drying bagasse involves, in addition to lower efficiency, loss of time.
Having the objective of improving combustion efficiency various solutions have been tried such as drying bagasse in rotary driers. Such driers are constituted by large cylindrical tubular metal tanks encircled by rings and supported on a bed, wherein the entire cylinder rotates around an imaginary axis through the action of an electric motor and gearing. Hot air is injected, passing through the interior of such cylindrical tank along an imaginary central axis, exiting at the opposite side. These tanks possess beating plates such that on the rotation thereof bagasse is carried to the upper part of the tank and is “cast down” through the current of hot air crossing the tank.
However efficient the drying process may be it must be stressed that the weight of the tank is very high requiring great electrical energy consumption which may not equalize the work of drying.